1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a folding camera having means for shielding the camera's bellows.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention relates to a folding camera of the type having a flexible bellows formed from any suitable opaque material and, more particularly, to a structure for shielding the bellows from ambient light and from contact by the fingers of a user.
Generally, cameras of the folding type have a flexible opaque bellows for excluding ambient light from the zone in which image bearing light travels during exposure of a film unit. Often, when the housings of the folding camera are in their erected operative condition, walls of the bellows are clearly visible to the user. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,668,991 and 3,842,430 for examples of such cameras. Thus exposed, the bellows not only adversely affects the aesthetics of the camera but is also subject to being damaged, e.g., by the fingers of the user. Also, pin holes may form in the bellows and may be of a size that permit sufficient ambient light to enter the bellows and fogs the unexposed film. Still further, the flexibility of the bellows allows the fingers of the user to penetrate the confines of the camera to an extent where they may be jammed during the folding of the camera.
In cameras of the type referred to as collapsible tubular cameras, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,149, it is known to surround the camera's bellows by at least two tubular members which may be telescoped into a third tubular member when the camera is collapsed. However, a disadvantage to this type of construction is the amount of space that must be provided in the third tubular member in order to accommodate the thickness of the walls of the movable members when the camera is collapsed.